Starting in 2015, clinical pharmacists who specialize in caring for the critically ill and pediatric patients will be able to pursue certification in these practice areas. Recognized by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) in 2013, these two specialties will offer examinations for the first time next fall.
The two specialties afford qualified clinical pharmacists additional opportunities for the recognition of their unique expertise. Pharmacists currently can be board certified in ambulatory care pharmacy, nuclear pharmacy, nutrition support, oncology, psychiatry, and pharmacotherapy (with the option of added qualifications in either cardiology or infectious diseases).
As of March 2014, a total of 1245 specialty certifications representing 36 countries had been granted to international pharmacists by BPS (Table).
Table. Countries of Residence Where International Board-Certified Pharmacists Practice
Australia | Hong Kong | Lebanon | Singapore |
Bahrain | Iran | Macau | South Africa |
Bermuda | Ireland | Malaysia | Spain |
Canada | Israel | Netherlands | Sudan |
Costa Rica | Japan | Norway | Switzerland |
Egypt | Jordan | Pakistan | Taiwan Region |
France | Kenya | Puerto Rico | Thailand |
Germany | Korea | Qatar United | Arab Emirates |
Guam | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia | United Kingdom |
The most common specialty certification among international pharmacists is pharmacotherapy, followed by oncology and then nutrition support pharmacy. The figure that follows depicts the percentage of international pharmacists certified in each of the currently recognized specialties.
Figure. International pharmacist certification by specialty.
BCACP = Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist; BCNP = Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacist; BCNSP = Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist; BCOP = Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist; BCPP = Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist; BCPS = Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist.
Pharmacists seeking recognition and planning to take the 2015 specialty examination for the critical care pharmacy or pediatric pharmacy specialty can benefit from ACCP’s prominent, most comprehensive, and most up-to-date preparatory review courses. Both the Critical Care Pharmacy Preparatory Review Course and the Pediatric Pharmacy Preparatory Review Course will be offered live at the ACCP Updates in Therapeutics® 2015 meeting, to be held April 10–14, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois, followed by a home-study format released in June 2015.
More information on ACCP’s critical care pharmacy and pediatric pharmacy preparatory review courses is available at www.accp.com/education/criticalcare.aspx and www.accp.com/education/pediatrics.aspx, respectively.
More information on board certification is available at www.accp.com/careers/certification.aspx.